A Volunteers Story

My councillor put me in touch with Castle Furniture Project, so, I joined the project as a volunteer. At the time I was going through, what I can only describe as, the most chaotic and extremely difficult period of my life. On top of this, I hadn't worked in three years and the thought of going into further education or employment was daunting. Due to personal, traumatic experiences my self-esteem and confidence was at an all time low.

I first had a meeting with a member of staff called Colin; I can't even begin to describe just how welcome I was made to feel. It was a very informal chat where l felt comfortable speaking up about what I hoped to achieve by volunteering at the project. Colin seemed genuinely interested and enthusiastic with regards to my hopes and dreams. They made many fantastic suggestions as to how we could develop them and I felt that for the first time in my life I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go in.

I knew that I wanted to work with wood, but I really didn't know enough about the profession to make an informed decision. It was only once I started restoring furniture in the workshop that I realised that this was the job for me.

When I passed this information on, all the staff were encouraging and interested in what I was doing, this really motivated me and seemed to make me more eager and willing to learn. It was as if the warmth I felt from them in their friendliness and energy just made me glow and flourish. Everyone has bent over backwards to make this happen right down to bringing in their own camera so I can make a portfolio of the furniture I restore.

What astounds' me though is the many lives l see that are touched and changed for the better by Castle Furniture. People who, like me, have maybe had a really tough time of things and have certainly been treated unfairly, they come to the project and are treated with the respect and kindness they deserve. This is done by a team of people who work hard together and take pride in the service they provide.

I would like to take this moment to thank this dedicated team for making me feel welcome, comfortable, giving me a sense of self worth and most importantly of all an important part of the team that is Castle Furniture Project.